back to article Just in time for Xmas: Extra stealthy Point of Sale malware

Cybercrooks are selling a new strain of potent Point of Sale malware through underground forums. “Pro PoS” weights in at just 76KB and packs mechanisms to frustrate antivirus analysis, as well as root-kit functionality, according to threat intelligence firm InfoArmor. Developers of the malware also integrated a polymorphic …

  1. chivo243 Silver badge

    As I just told the missus

    We will pay cash when ever POSsible! Glad we're not in the US

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And what makes you think that this screen grab is a genuine seller?

    Right, registration dated 27 November, registered as a user, only one feedback entry.

    I would not be so sure - this looks like a bait of the "all men are men, all women are men and all children are FBI agents" variety.

  3. Stevie

    Bah!

    The obvious answer is to use your card once, cut it in half and request a new one.

    By answering all those "Please have our credit card" mailings one should be able to build up a reserve of one-use credit cards big enough to cover the lead time on a new card from such-and-such provider.

    Indeed, the banks should really just start issuing new cards on a weekly basis and mailing them out to heavy card users like me. Or base the decision on a given number of transactions. Twenty charges == new card in the mail, that sort of thing.

    Gotta go. I hear the sultry siren call of Amazon.

    1. regadpellagru

      Re: Bah!

      "The obvious answer is to use your card once, cut it in half and request a new one."

      I'm using this every single online purchase. I may start to use this with POS. Visa and Mastercard already offer services by which you create a virtual card number, limited in duration (2 months) and amount of money (your online purchase final invoice). That's at a french bank.

      It is, indeed very secure, as frauding this would involve stealing the unique number, transmitted via a TLS channel AND getting the money before the online retailler gets it. Good luck with that !

      I don't think this is mainstream in the US or UK, unfortunately. You guys need to go to your bank manager ...

      1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

        Re: Bah!

        > That's at a french bank.

        Interesting. Which one?

        1. regadpellagru

          Re: Bah!

          "Interesting. Which one?"

          Credit Mutuel. I've been using their service to pay for online stuff for now 8 years (I've bought probably 1 item/week online ever since (up to 1500 E stuff !)). Is free, easy, secure, and just works. I think other french banks are doing this as well.

          Possibly Caisse d'Epargne is still stupid enough to have withdrawn this kind of service. I know for sure they did that, 3 years ago. Retarded.

      2. InsaneGeek

        Re: Bah!

        Citibank cards in the US has had this for years now. The virtual number once used cannot be used at any other realtor, is valid by default for one month (but can be longer) and you can specify max ammount. The nice thing is if you have a reoccurring charge you can set a multi month virtual card, that even if stolen can't be used at any other realtor.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    CaaS

    Crime as a Service seems to have its act together.

    Wonder if they support linux...

  5. Zippy's Sausage Factory
    Alert

    And I'm paying cash for everything in future.

    The tills at the local supermarket are still running Windows 2000 - I saw one of them rebooting the other day. That was scary enough all by itself...

  6. kain preacher

    This is not well know but Amex does of a reader for their chipped card that plus into your computer and generates one time use numbers,.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Point of Sale malware attacking retailers

    We should ban these newer OSes from being used on PoS devices.

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